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3EX. X S "T» O 7EL ^ST 

OF THE TOWN OF 

RIVERHEAD, 



Written by Hon. George Miller, and read by T. M. Griffing, 
J. Esq., at tne Centennial Celebration, 

Jk^H *v\y 4, 1876. 



> — •■» < 



The town of Riverhead embraces all 
that part of the town of Southold, as 
constituted by statute, bounded north- 
erly by the Sound, easterly by the east 
line of the Albertson farm, so called, 
extending from the Sound to the bay, 
and chiefly bwlongiug to the late Israel 
Fanning; southerly by Peconic Bay 
and Peconic River, and westerly by 
the town of Brookhaven. The origi- 
nal east line of that town extended 
frora a pepperidge tiee standing '•' at 
the head ot a small brook that runneth 
into the creek called Panquacnnsuck," 
(which is Wading River creek,) north 
to the Sound and south to the ocean. 
That tree stood nearly opposite the 
bouse late of Gabriel Mills, deceased, 
now of Robert H. Coi bett, and has 
ever been regarded as the bound be- 
tween the towns. The territory west 
of the said north line and east of the 
Wading River creek belonged to 
Brookhaven. but that town ceded it to 
Riverhead, on condition that the latter 
town should support a pauper that lived 
there. 

The patent of the town of Southold 
was bounded on the south by a line 
running from the head of Red Creek 
to the head of the said brook at Wad- 
ing River. It crosses Peconic River 
at Riverhead in the neighborhood of 
the present waste gate, and from thence 



westward. It has always been a 
known line, and a landmark between 
the oivisions of land lying north and 
south of it. The land on the south was 
granted by the Colonial Governor to 
Chief Justice Smith by a patent bound- 
ed on the west by the Brookhaven 
line ; on the northeast by this Manor 
line to Red Cieek ; thence southeast- 
erly by a line extending from Red 
Greek to the head of Seat'iek It is 
believed that the portiun ol this patent 
lying between the Manor line and Pe- 
conic River was joined to the town of 
Southold by the earliest legislative di- 
vision of the towns, and that people of 
Southold purchased ot Judge Smith the 
land north of Peconic River and allot- 
ted it. 

There is nothing in the records of 
the town ot Southold to show that the 
proprietors under the patent of that 
town ever made a recorded allotment 
of their lands now within the town of 
Riverhead. But most of the proprie- 
tors took the lands severally allotted 
to them without entering the same on 
record. It appears that in 1659 the 
proprietors granted to John Tooker 
and Joshua HottoG the privilege of 
building a saw mill on Peconic River, 
with a' little land. Tooker in 1711 
conveyed 400 acres of land to John 
Parker, bounded east by Paiker's laud, 







south by Peconic River, west by wid- 
ow Cooper's land, and north by the 
Sound. Parker owned the land on the 
south side of the river. In 1726, by 
deed of gift, John Parker conveyed to 
Joseph Wickham and Abigail Wick- 
ham, his daughter, all his laud north 
. of Pecouic River, to the said Josepu 
for life and then to his daughter and 
her heirs. Her husband died in 1749. 
His widow died in 1780, and her old- 
est son, Parker, inherited her estate, 
which was confiscated after the war 
and purchased by Gen. Floyd, who 
sold the property to Mr. Jagger. 

In 1753 Thomas Panning sold the 
hotel property, 130 acres, with the 
darn as far as the saw mill, to John 
Griffing, for £1,000. In 1775 Join. 
Griffing conveyed his land south of 
the highway, with the grist mill and 
his part of the stream, to Nathaniel 
Griffing, bis son, for £500 John Grit- 
ting was a patriotic Whig and went 
to Connecticut with his family when 
the war came on, and died there in 
1780, iutehtate, and all his estate de- 
scended to his eldest sun, John, who 
occupied the property until he sold it 
to Benjamin Brewster about the begin 
uing of this century. He, within t,t n 
years, conveyed it to Bartlett Griffing, 
the yonngi st son of John Griffing tin- 
elder, and he within a year conveyed 
it to his brother, William Griffing, in 
whose family it ever after remained 
until it was conveyed to John P. Ter- 
ry, the present proprietor, in 1864 
The main building of this hotel was 
erected bj 7 the Messrs Gri flings in 
1844. 

The village of Riverhead for nearly 
30 years alter the Involution remained 
stationary, with but lour bouses, viz. : 
The Griffing Hotel, Joseph Osboru's 
house, on Terry & Weilo's corner, Da- 
vid Jagger's house, and the mill house, 



built by William Albertson.the owner 
of the grist mill. David Horton lived 
in the Court house and kept the jail. 
Stephen Griffing occupied the place 
late of Dr. Thomas Osb^rn. 

In 1815 Nathaniel Griffing, Jr., built 
the house now occupied bv Mr. Miller, 
on premises his father had purchased 
40 years before. The same year Hub- 
bard an 1 Wells Griffing built the sloop 
McDonough, the first vessel built in 
Riveibead after iho war. They run 
her until 1825 and then sold her and 
built the sloop Pacific. Atterwards 
Capt. Junes Horton bought the Mc- 
Donough, rebuilt her and run her many 
years and sold her. She is now in 
Connecticut and was seen in New York 
last summer in quite good condition. 

Bwjamin Brewster bought the grist 
mill ot William Alhertson and run it 
some years after the war of 1812. 
During this time it was burnt. Mr. 
Brewster got his insurance and rebuilt 
the mill, netting it on an elbow of the 
dam, which he e.irritd a considerable 
distance noitheast from the" former 
site. When he sold bis hotel, about 
1808, he built the bouse late of Hub- 
bard Griffing, deceased, which he oc- 
cupied until he sold the mill to Ezra 
Hallock In 1824 the grist mill was 
overhauled, and greatly improved with 
new water wheels. In that summer 
the water was drawn off the mill pond, 
causing, as was supposed, considerable 
sickness and some deaths. 

In 1825 the village had considerably 
advanced and increased. Moses C. Cleve- 
land had set up a shoe shop, aad Jedediah 
Conklin a blacksmith's shop, both of whom 
were active business men. There were 
three stores, kept by Elijah Terry, Will- 
iam Jagger and William Griffing, Jr. Siuce 
then business and population have greatly 
increased. There are now some 20 stores, 
three drug shops, foui dentists, tour butch- 
er's shops, five physicians, six lawyers, five 
churches and a large Union School. 



The Long Island House still occupies a 
part of the original hotel owned by the 
Griffiugs 128 years ago.and owned by some 
oJ the family nearly ever since until it was 
purchased by Jolm P. Terry, the present 
landlord. 

Henry L. Griffin owns a large hotel near 
the railroad, or part of the Griffing farm, 
built in 18G2. 

The Suffolk Hotel, kept by John Cor- 
win, was built on a part of the same prop- 
erty in the year 1825, first as a dwelling, 
afterwards greatly enlarged, and kept as a 
hotel since 1834. 

The large brick store on Bridge street 
was built in 1854 by David F. Vail. John 
Downs built his buck block on the corner 
of Main street and Griffiag ave. in 1871-2. 
The Messrs., Hill built their th"ee story 
double brick store on Main street in 1874. 

Dr. Thomas Osborn was the first phy- 
sician in the village and the only one for 
thirty years. He commenced practice very 
early in this century and died in 1849 Dr. 
Joseph Doane practiced in this village 12 

3 ears and died in 1847. Dr. Conk- 

liu was the first physician in the town. 
He lived and practiced at Lower Aque- 
bogue. 

Riverkead has two Engine Companies. 
The first, Red Bird, was organized in 1833. 
It has now two hand engines and 40 mem- 
bers ; Gilbert H. Ketcham foreman. The 
second, Washington, was organized in 1862. 
It has one hand engine, and a new steamer 
purchased in 1875 ; members 36 ; Oliver 
A. Terry foren.an. 

The Riverhead Savings Bank was organ- 
ized in 1872 — Richard H. Benjamin then 
and stiil President, with twenty Trustees 
whose services are gratuitous. It has av- 
eraged more than one new depositor for 
every duy since, has paid $118,000 to its 
depositors, and has now invested over 
$200,000. Its influence has been very be 
nencent. 

An early individual enterprise was per- 
formed by the lite Isaac Swezey, Sr., by 
which in 1848 he dug a canal over 80 rods 
long and moved his grist mill from the dam 
on Little River to the village at the verge 
of the Great Kiver. 

Charles Hallett has contributed much to 
the growth and material prosperity of the 



village. In 185G he started a planiugmill, 
usiug to some extent both steam and water 
power, which finally passed into other 
bands. Tu i860 he built a steam planing 
mill on the north side of the river, which 
did a lurge business — the first year to the 
amount of $22,000, and in the years 1873 
and 1874 the business amouated to $125,- 
000 a year, and his pay roll was $32,000 
in 1873 and $34,000 in 1874. He ha* now 
rented out the steam mill, which is run by 
Weeks & Millard, we believe prosperously 
for the tunes. 

In 870 Mr. Hallett started a paper mill 
for making board paper of straw. In 1872 
he started a flouring mill, which he has now 
fitted for making flour by the uewpioccss, 
and is ruaning the mill with much success, 
commanding patronage, by the railroad. 
Irom Queens county. His paper mill has 
been much improved by new inventions, 
ada ted to the pressure of the times, so as 
to make a very superior board that can be 
sold at a profit. 

The village of Riverhead has received 
great benefit from the improvement of the 
channel of the river. Congress has made 
three appropriations, amounting in the ag- 
gregate to $25,000, and the State has ap- 
propriated $5,000, all of which has been 
carefully expended in deepening the chan- 
nel with a steam excavator. The result 
has been not only very favorable to navi- 
gation, but it has caused the water to run 
off at low tide nearly a foot lower, while it 
very unexpectedly prevents as high a rise 
of water as formerly with an east wind, 
rendmug great advantages to the mill 
stream and making the adjoining lots and 
gardens, cellais and wharves more com- 
iortable and valuable. Further appropri- 
ations are necessary to make the work com- 
plete. It is believed that $20,000 would 
effect all that could be desired- 

At the close of the Kevolution agricul- 
ture was at a low ebb as wll as business 
of every other kind. The cultivated lands 
had been worked down and become poor, 
and the peop e were without fertilizers. 
Manuring with fish was then unknown 
and the people of this branch of the Island 
went to Coram and Middle Island with 
their horse carts to buy rye to live on. 
People were deeply in debt according to 



their means of payment. As an illustra- 
tion of this, it appears from the records 
that more than 100 writs were returnable 
to the Court of Common Picas of this 
county during the first year after the war. 
Before or soon after the beginning of this 
century bunker fishing for manure was be- 
gun by the farmers. This soon improved 
their circumstances, enabled them to raise 
good crops, and produce manure from oth- 
er sources so as to make their laud perma- 
nently good, and the condition of the peo- 
ple very much improved. Buying fertiliz- 
ers from abroad was not then practiced. 
Judge John Wuodhuli was the first man 
in the town to buy ashes for manure, and 
it euabled him to make hay superior to that 
of his neighbors. Fifty yeais ago he owned 
the only steel spring carriage in the town, 
and about that time it was thought quite 
an improvement for the hotel at Riverhead 
to have a sulky with woolen springs and 
thorough-braces 

The Long Island Railroad commenced 
runriing the last day of July, 1844. The 
passenger train run three tim^s a week and 
so continued through the ensuing winter 
and probably longer. Fifty years ago we 
had the mail at Riverhead once a week by 
a one horse wagon, and it we went to New 
York by stage we must cross over to 
Quogue and reach the city by the mail 
stage towards night of the second day. 
After a few years we came to have a mail 
stage '.hiough on the middle country road 
Passengers would start from Riverhead at 
noon, stay at Thomas Hallock't, at the 
Branch the first night, and arrive ;.t Brook- 
lyn towards evening the next day. After 
some years we came to have two mails a 
week, but the change is very great now. 
We have' the mail to ana from New York 
twice a day, and three trains a day in tbe 
summer. 

No part of the town of Riverhead has 
increased so much and so rapidly in agii- 
cultural wealth abNorthville. That village 
and the whole extent of the north road to 
Wading River, prove that the early histo 
riaus of the towu misconceived the charac- 
ter of a large part of the lands in the town 
not then brought under cultivation. They 
are in fact valuable for that purpose and 



have been much improved within a few 
years. 

Wading River more than 50 years ago 
had a good deai of enterprise in the coast 
iug business, and built some valuable ves- 
sels for that trade and launched them into 
the Sound. The railroad, which has done 
so much for the prosperity of other parts 
of the town, has rather tended to retard 
the growth of this place. 

The village of Jampsport has come into 
being within the last half of our Centennial 
period. It is built on Miamogue Point. 
The wharf was built in 183 o and the hotel 
in 183G. It has grown to be a considera- 
ble village aud is very pleasantly situated 
for a su r. mer resort, enjoying great advan- 
tages for the navigation of the bay. 

At about 1797 Jeremiah Petty built a 
F rge for making bar iron, on Peconic Riv- 
er at the Forge Pond, where he did busi- 
ness until his death, after which, in 1799, 
the property was purchased by Solomon 
Towcsend of New York, who did business 
there for a while, and after his death and 
in 1818 the property was sold by his ad- 
ministrators to Bartholomew Collins, since 
which time but little business has been 
done with the large water power of the 
mill pond except as a reservoir for the 
mills below, and since 1870 the wfiter has 
been drawn off during the summer for the 
purpose of cultivating cranbenies on the 
bed of the pond. The same: use is now 
being made of the pond above on the same 
stream by draining it and yet using the 
water of the river above by means of a, ca- 
nal 

The Upper Mills, so called, one mile 
above Riverhead village, on Peconic river, 
was the site of a grist mill, ful ing mill and 
saw mill, all owned by Richard Albertson, 
the father and then the son, and built late 
in the past centmy. 

In 1828 John Perkins became a proprie- 
tor in the water power and established a 
woollen factoiy, which has been continued 
ever since. It was ever regarded as very 
valuable to the people on both sides of 
the Island, and facilitates the transition 
from spinning and weaving cloth at home 
t:> carrying we>ol to the factory aud taking 
manufactured cloth in return The factory 



was run during the life of Mr. Perkins, 
who died in I860, and since his death by 
his sous, who arc merchants in Riverhead. 
The present woollen factory was built by 
Mr Perkins in 1845. 

LAW. 

The first Court-house was built in Riv- 
erhead iu 1728. The Couit was fust held 
on the last Tuesday in September, 1728. 

An order was entered that all process 
should be returnable at the County Hall, 
and that is what it was called. Before 
that, the Courts appear to have been held 
alternately in the towns of Southold and 
Southampton. The first term of the Com- 
mon Pleas was held after the war on the 
last Tuesday of March, 1784. EzraLTIom- 
medieu and Abraham Skinner were both 
then admitted to practice as attorneys and 
there appeal 3 on the records no other law. 
yer. Mr. LTIommedieu was Clerk of the 
County, which office he held 26 years, dur- 
ing which time he was for one term a 
Member of Congress and many yeaisa 
State Senator, besides having a very large 
practice as attorney, having over 80 writs 
returnable in the Common Pleas in oue 
year 

Daniel Osborn, the father oi the late Hull 
Osborn and of Dr. Thomas Osborn, was a 
member of the bar and a Member of As- 
sembly in 1787; he died in 1801. Hull 
Osborn was a practicing lawyer in River- 
head for many years until 1817, and was 
for one year Clerk ol the county in 1810. 
He died iu 1834., very highly respected as 
a man and a lawyer. 

The other practicing lawyers in early 
times were George Smith of Smithtowu 
— lie moved to Connecticut — Jos Strong 
of Orauge county, who moved into this 
county and practiced law a number of 
yea«3, ana Silas Wood of Huntington 
Eliphalet Wicks of Jamaica, a man of high 
landing, practiced law in the county many 
years Tnese are all the members of the 
bar who i.ad ceased to practice in the coun- 
ty before 1&25. The lollowing are the 
lawyers that were practicing in Suffolk 
county when the writer came to the bar iu 
1825: Abraham Skinner, Chas. A. Floyd, 
Selah b. Strong. William P. Buffett, Abra- 
ham T. Kose, Hugh Halsey and Daniel 



Robert. All these, together with every 
officer who then attended Court, have 
passed away except Mr. Robert, who is 
still Mving in New Utrecht. His office was 
in New York, but he attended all our courts 
and was one of the heading advocates until 
1831. 

The first Judges were Selah Strong, 
the elder, Abraham Woodhull, Thomas S. 
Strong, Joshua Smith, Jonithan Conkliu, 
Hugh Halsey, Abraham T. Rose, William 
P Buffett. J. Lawrence Smith. George Mil- 
ler, Henry P. Hedges and John R. Reid. 
The last four are still living. 

the following persons have been Mem- 
bers of Assembly from this town : Capt. 
John Wells, Usher H. Moora, who was 
also a member of the Constitutional Con- 
vention iu 1821 ; 0; pt. Noah Youngs, John 
Terry, David Warner, George Howell, 
John C Davis, James H. Tuthill. John S. 
Marcy and Nathan D. Petty. The three 
last have been members for two sessioLS 
each 

The first Clerk's office was built in 1846. 
The new Court-house was built in 1856. 
In 1875 the first Clerk's office was sold 
and a new building erected for Clerk's and 
Surrogate's offices. 

RELIGION. 

At the time of the Revolution it is be- 
lieved that the only places of worship in 
the town were at Lower Aquebogue, Up- 
per Aquebogue and Wading River, the first 
Presbyterian and the other two Congrega- 
tional. At Baiting Hollow a Congrega- 
tional house of worship was erected in 
1802 and built anew about 1839. In 1815 
separate worship was set up by Svvedenbor- 
giaus and in 1839 a house of worship was 
erected by them. In Wading River the 
first house was built about 1750 and a new 
house was erected in 1837- In Lower 
Aquebogue the first house was built in 
1 7;]4 ; it was repaired in 1830 and rebuilt 
in 1859. The church some years ago be- 
came Congregational. At Upper Aque- 
bogue a house of worship was erected in 
the fore part of the last century. In 1797 
a new church was built, iu 183H it was 
remodeled am! rebuilt. A new church ed- 
ifice was built in 18u2. This society be- 
came in a measure the mother of two other 



6 



congregations. There was a separation of 
the congregation in 1829 and the seceders 
built a house two miles east of Riverhead. 
In 1834 this new congregation harmoni- 
ously divided, and one portion took the 
me«*.ting-house and moved it to Northville ; 
the other portion removed to Riverhead. 
receiving compensation for their interest 
in the building, and worshiped in the low- 
ei room of the Seminary building until 
1841, when the present Congregational 
Church was built, which was enlarged in 
the year 1868. 

The Methodist Society in Riverhead was 
organized in 1833 and their first meeting- 
house was built in i834 Their present 
noble edifice was built in 1870. 

The Swedenborgian Society was organ- 
ized in 1839 Their house- of worship was 
built in 1855. Before the erection of their 
church they occupied a comfortable room 
as a place of worship, which was also used 
as a school room. 

The Episcopalians commenced stated 
worsLio in Riverhead in 1870, and in 1873 
they erected a neat chapel. 

The Free Methodists erected a meeting 
house in 1872. 

The Roman Catholic Society held ser- 
vices for several years in the old Court- 
house and in a house on East street. In 
1870 their present hatdsome church and 
parsonage were erected. 

At Jamesport a building was erected in 
1839 iiiid has been occupied as a p.ace of 
worship for the Methodist Society since 
and sometimes as a school house. 

The village of Riverhead was in 1825 and 
always had been a part ef the Congrega- 
tional Society of Upper Aquebogue. Mr. 
Swezey, the minister, statedly preached in 
the Court house every other Sunday at 5 
o'clock, or in the evening. The Method 
ist circuit rider statedly preached in the 
Court house every other Friday afternoon 
or evening, and v:as entertained at Dr. Os- 
born's. In March, 1827, a stated weekly 
prayer meeting was established and ever 
after maintained. In June following a 
Sunday School with nearly 100 scholars 
was established in the Court-house and 
kept up, except that it was not held in the 
winter. 

In 1828 or 1829 meetings were held and 



a sermon read in the Court-house at 1 1 
o'clock on the Sabbath and kept up for 
several years. At some time afterwards 
meetings were held statedly in the Court- 
house on Sunday evening, at which the 
Congregational and Methodist ministers 
preached alternately. So the t^o societies 
grew up together as the population in- 
creased. We thought then and we think 
still that there was much more moral and 
religious influence for good exercised than 
if only one denomination had occupied the 
wnole ground. 

EDUCATION. 

There have been great advances in the 
cause of education since the Revolution. 
During that war the Island was in poses- 
sion of the British, and the people were 
great sufferers from their troops and from 
marauders (plunderers they used to be 
called), who came from New England, so 
that the opportunities for schools were 
small ; and then came up a generation dur- 
ing the war whose education was very lim- 
ited, and no considerable public provision 
was made for education until long after 
the war. In the early part of this century 
there were two schools taught by native 
teachers that were very commendable for 
those times, and many young men received 
an education there which well fitted them 
for active life. We allude to the schools 
kept at Upper and Lower Aqnebogue. the 
former by Josiah Reeve, afterwards Sheriff 
of the county, and the latter by Judge Da- 
vid Warner. No special efforts for extra 
edncatiou were made until the Frankliu- 
ville Academy was erected in the year 
1832. That soon became a prosperous and 
efficient institution and many young men 
were educated there It continued to flour- 
ish for many years and constituted a new 
era in education in this part of the county 
and drew many pupils from other towns. 

The standard of female education on this 
branch of the Island was very low up to 
this time. Indeed it had been so through- 
out most parts of the county. When Dr. 
Beecher preached at East Hampton his 
wife taught quite a class ef female schol- 
ars Irom difieient parts of the county. The 
influence of those scholars told very favor- 
ably upon the communities where they 
were afterwards located. With that ex- 



ception we know of no schools in the coun- 
ty lor the special education ol females. 

The opportunities of girls in the two 
academies of East Hampton and Hunting 
ton were in those days, very secondary'. 
Indeed acadeniks afforded inferior oppor- 
tunities for thorough education They were 
generally taught by young men who had 
little primary education, but had devoted 
their efforts to the classics and mathemat- 
ics sufficiently to pass through college, and 
during their progress to a profession taught 
academies and high schools, imparting 
chiefly such learning as they had acquired. 
Female education had been overlooked or 
neglected, aud tho:ougb primary instruc- 
tion nearly as much so 

In view of this state of things Dr. Josh- 
up, Fanning and the writer undertook to 
organize a Female Seminary, aud in the 
year 1834 we erected the present seminary 
building in the village of Riverhead. In 
the spring of 1835 the school was begun 
vvith good success. Its object was to give 
thoiough instruction in all the prin.ary 
branches of an English education, with 
Latiu and Mathematics. The effect of the 
school was almost magical upon the com- 
munity. The ideas of people in regard to 
female education were raised more thau 
one bundled per cent, in a short time, and 
the difference in the estimate of people in 
legard to thorough primary education soon 
became great and told upon the academies 
of the county, aud the examination day at 
the ciose of the terms were lor years among 
the proudest days of Riverhead.* 

At the beginning it was s-upposed that 
young ladies must be educated in exclusive 
schools, but this was after a while touud 
to be a mistake with us, and it is now gen- 
erally conceded that schools of both sexes 
can be best governed and instructed. 

This seminary and nearly all other 
schools in Riverhead have been supersede d 
by the Union School, established in 1871, 
which has been a great success. A school 
of this kind acts under the. sanction of the 
law and is amenable to the judgment and 




good sense of the whole community, and 
has advantages for discipline and uood gov- 
ernment which can never be enjoyed by a 
private school. 

HEALTH, 

Riverhead is believed to be remarkable 
for the healthfulnes9 of its climate. There 
have been no prevailing climatic diseases 
iu the village in 52 years. The make of 
the earth is such that there can be no stag- 
nant water above or below ground, and 
water for use is drawn from pure white 
sand, which makes it perfect iu quality, 
while it is as cool as persons in poor health 
should desire. Summer diseases, which at 
times prevail in almost every village, have 
never been prevalent here. 

At the south of Riverhead there is a 
pitch pine barren seven miles in extent, 
over which the ocean breezes pass, often 
loaded at the start vvith tog and dampness, 
which are absorbed by the dry country 
over which they pass. Fogs are very com- 
mon on the south side but rare at River- 
head In the spring the aroma from the 
pine growth is often perceived in the south- 
erly breeze by strangers. This dry pine 
country is probably little inferior to the pine 
barrens at the South, which are often 
sought by invalids. It undoubtedly has a 
lavorable effect upon the health of the vil- 
lage. The same causes, we think, render 
Jamesport equal if not superior to any wa- 
tering place on the north side of Peconic 
Bay. i-v^+j^ tJ - Jl -j - 

It is easy to chronicle events but not al- 
ways so easy to relate with accuracy the 
moral state of a peuple or community as it 
bears on past and present times. ThVisfete-- 
ot things now and fitty years ago in regard 
to morals and good government is vastly 
different, and the question is have we ad- 
vanced? Are there proportionally more 
happy families, aud more children trained 
to knowledge, yirtue aud industry? The 
truth is, that it we would have advance- 
ment in the right direction we must go still 
further and higher. There must be great 
reforms in every department of the govern- 
ment, and the people must hold tneir serv- 
ants to a responsibility not thought of here- 
tofore. 

There can be no doubt tha' there have 
been great changes in some of the moral 
and social relations of the people. In re- 



gard to intemperance the change is great. 
In 1828 the liquor drank in the town was 
five times as much as it was two years af- 
terwards. The first temperance meeting 
in liiverhead was held late in January 
1829, when 17 signed the pledge. At the 
next meeting a fortnight later the signers 
were doubled and the consumption ot liq- 
uor was undoubtedly lessened one half in 
three months. Before that liquor was al- 
most everywhere. Every merchant and 
man of business kept his open bottle. On 
every public occasion drunkards abounded. 
But as soon as the principles of total absti- 
nence was adopted a change came over the 
community. At the very next town meet- 
ing the people all went home before night 
sober. At the next launching of Capt. 
Henry Horton's vessel no liquor was used. 
Fishermen abandoned it ; merchauts who 
sold other goods quit the sale of it. The 
people soon saw clearly, what fifty years 
has proved to be true, that even the mode- 
rate use of liquor is not necessary but hurt- 
ful, and that sound morals and good gov- 
ernment require that its haLitual use should 
be abandoned. It would be hard to esti- 
mate the amount of temporal blessings this 
great leformation in principle and practice 
has caused to households and individuals. 
O if some of our temperance friends would 
only get the foolish crotchet out of their 
heads that no man is fit for any office if he 
will not at once vote for total prohibition, 
we might soon prove by the laws we have 
whether we a;e in a condition to have laws 
more efficient than the Local Option Act 
If they would join in one party or the oth- 
er the" great body of honest voters of the 
State in the present struggle to elevate the 
standard of official duty and purify the pol 



iticsof the country, they -will find them- 
selves standing on a much firmer basis for 
further assistance from the laws. Let us be 
sure, if possible, that men are honest and 
capable whom we support for office, but 
never let us reject such because they are 
not for prohibition where such a law is not 
in question. 

Our advantages for educatioa and the 
training ol children are vastly greater than 
they were 40 or 50 years ago, but do we 
improve them as we should? Are children 
and boys just passing to manhood restrain- 
ed as they should be ? The foundation and 
corner stone of good government is that 
boys should never be suffered to run at 
large in the streets in the night time. Lax- 
ness in this matter is preparing children 
for the slaughter. Above all things, if pos- 
sible, make your family a happy home for 
your children. In no point of view have I 
for 35 years looked upon the young ladies 
educated at our Seminary with so much in- 
terest as with the hope that they would ac- 
quire knowledge and training that would 
the better fit them to make their homes 
hippy* with the more skill to control chil- 
dren and youth under their care. We look 
with yreat hope for the good influence of 
our Union school in this matter. 

We could not well say less in regard to 
moral questions which have affected us so 
deeply in time past and must for time to 
come. We enter upon the second century 
of our national existence under very aus- 
picious circumstances and in nothing so 
much as the feeling that has arisen among 
thoughtful and true men ot all parties that 
the standard of morals in politics, and in 
the conducting of our National and State 
governments, must be greatly elevated. 



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